How Gold & Runestones Work in Nosgoth

2014-02-20 George Kelion, Square Enix

As we’ve said right from the start, once we successfully complete our fast approaching Closed Beta phase and reach Open Beta, then you’ll be able to download, install and play Nosgoth completely free of charge.

So, Nosgoth is a free-to-play game - but it's not pay-to-win. We made the decision to go to free-to-play to break down barriers and let as many players into the game as possible. One of the key goals has been to create a fair experience that doesn't penalise players who don’t spend money in the game – as such Nosgoth doesn’t include items, weapons or abilities that are inherently better (aka “supremacy goods”).

What does this mean? It means that all items in our in-game store – which we will be opening up in Closed Beta – are sidegrades, not upgrades. Each individual item has been balanced by having its own share of positive and negative attributes equally.

For example, the Alchemist's Fullbore Cannon deals more damage than the standard Hand Cannon, but has a smaller clip.

As you play Nosgoth you will earn Gold, which you will be able to use to purchase items in our in-game store. How much Gold you earn at the end of each match depends on how well you and your team have performed.

You will also be able to purchase Runestones with real-world money, which will enable to you purchase particular items early (i.e. without having to earn the Gold or XP required). Runestones will be available to purchase in bundles and you can find the find how much they’ll cost to buy below:

Some items will become unlocked once you’ve reached a high enough level rank, both for individual character classes and overall as a player. Additionally, certain rare items may be awarded to you after a match at random (whether you win or lose).

So, what can you earn, what can you buy and what can you attain by levelling up? Here’s a handy table breaking it all down for you:

ITEM

GOLD

RUNESTONES

LEVELLING UP

MATCH LOOT

Primary Weapon / Ability

×

×

×

Secondary Abilities

×

×

×

Perks

×

×

×

New Classes

×

×

×

Skins

×

×

Chest Keys

×

Boosters

×

Most of these items will be self-explanatory for experienced competitive multiplayer gamers (if they’re not, feel free to drop me a PM via the forum). However, two are worth explaining in more detail:

Chest Keys: A chest is a locked container which you may randomly receive at the end of a match, along with the usual end-game rewards. It will contain a randomised reward that’s different to standard end-game loot, for example a rare weapon or primary ability, and will require a Key to unlock it.

Boosters: A booster is a time-saving mechanic that will temporarily accelerate the speed at which you earn either Gold and/or XP, for yourself and/or your teammates.

Bear in mind that that no in-game item is inherently better than any other and that even the rarest in-game item will still have been designed to be a sidegrade rather than an upgrade.

Hopefully all this clearly defines the mechanics of Nosgoth’s in-game store for when it goes live in Closed Beta, and how it works for both Gold and Runestones.

Come back tomorrow when we’ll be sharing our own thoughts on how Nosgoth has progressed as we wave good-bye to Closed Alpha.